Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Uncategorized

  • Last Day Is Always Bittersweet: Travel Goals Italy

    Last Day Is Always Bittersweet: Travel Goals Italy

    Our last day in Italy. Where did the time go? We decide to stay fairly close to home as we need to pack and prepare for a morning flight. Although we had connected trains in the town of Domodossola, we have yet to properly visit. It seems like a great destination. The town sits next…

  • Meandering: Travel Goals Italy

    Meandering: Travel Goals Italy

    With just a few days left in Italy, we drive over to Ivrea. We had driven through town earlier in the month and I was charmed. It seems like a good place to explore. The hardest part of exploring unknown areas in Italy is navigating parking. We try a parking lot next to the oldest…

  • Pavia, A Study In Honoring Tradition: Travel Goals Italy

    Pavia, A Study In Honoring Tradition: Travel Goals Italy

    Today we venture to the Italian city of Pavia. Home to one of the world’s oldest universities, final resting place of St. Augustine, the Southern seat of the Dukes of Milan; Pavia has a long and interesting history. The Castello Visconteo di Pavia is our first stop. Built in 1360 by the Lord of Milan,…

  • Regroup: Travel Goals Italy

    Regroup: Travel Goals Italy

    The only thing stranger than receiving company while traveling abroad is sending them off while you remain. After our whirlwind week together with the extended family, we are exhausted. Everyone (except me) sleeps late. We start the day slowly, sharing coffee and pastries. And we reluctantly say our goodbyes. The siblings are headed to Milan…

  • In search of the Shroud: Travel Goals Italy

    In search of the Shroud: Travel Goals Italy

    You can’t visit Turin without wondering about the mysterious shroud of Turin. The shroud first appeared in France in the 1300’s and was claimed to be the shroud that wrapped the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. While a bishop in the late 1300’s and dozens of scientists have called it a fake, the faithful…

  • Grand Torino: Travel Goals Italy

    Grand Torino: Travel Goals Italy

    With only one more day to spend with the siblings in Italy, we decide to head to Turin (Torino). This often overlooked town was the capitol of the Northern Roman Empire and the domain of the Savoy dynasty. There are more palaces in and around Turin than you will find in entire countries. The Palazzo…

  • Unsupervised: Travel Goals Italy

    Unsupervised: Travel Goals Italy

    The minute our Milano walking tour guide left us, we were unsupervised in Milan. Relieved to be on our own, I gladly trade in my earpiece speaker. Maybe we won’t know quite as much as a tour guide but we can enjoy sights at our own pace. Our first order of business is to buy…

  • Milano At a March: Travel Goals Italy

    Milano At a March: Travel Goals Italy

    It was a priority to see the Last Supper at the Santa Maria Delle Grazie in Milan. To get the tickets for Last Supper, we have to take a tour. I may have mentioned that I am generally not a tour person. I actually hate them. The Walking tour of Milan started at 8:15 am.…

  • Zermatt Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Switzerland

    Zermatt Alpine Adventure: Travel Goals Switzerland

    I don’t usually think about bucket lists. Anywhere I am, is a worthy travel adventure as long as it is out of my ordinary. However, Zermatt and its wonderful Matterhorn have been on my wish list for decades. It seems unreal that we are on our way this morning. The road over the Simpson pass…

  • Sharing the Love: Travel Goals Italy

    Sharing the Love: Travel Goals Italy

    Sometimes I just enjoy things so much I want to share them. European traditional market days are some of my favorite travel days. Whether it is a giant flea market or small stalls, I am all in! So it was a delight to take my brother and two of my sister in laws on a…